Worst Article of the Year Goes to … Allsion Benedikt

The American Indian Public Charter Schools are at risk of closure because of people like Allison Benedict

Worst Article of the Year Goes To … Allison Benedikt.

I am hesitant to even write about this article, because I hate to give it more air time than it deserves. However, people like Allison Benedikt deserve to be highlighted for their idiocy to prevent them from doing severe damage to our society. Ms. Benedikt’s recent article titled: “If You Send Your Kid to Private School, You Are a Bad Person” is filled with logical failures and completely devoid of facts. Articles like this are danger

Ms. Benedikt’s accusation that you are a terrible person if you send your kid to private school is based on a theory that the reason our public schools are so bad is because all the good kids are going to private schools. According to her “logic” if these parents would just sacrifice their children at the altar of public school and fight for improvements at those schools, then our public schools system would be better (eventually). This is utterly false logic and Ms. Benedikt’s hyperbolic accusation that you are a terrible person for sending your kids to private school is just a method of gaining attention for her false argument.

Bad schools exist primarily in demographic areas where education is not as highly valued. When education is not a primary social concern of the parents within a community, then it is not a concern of the children within the community. This leads to inattentive students who act up and cause the deterioration of the educational system within that community. However, we must also understand that within these communities there exists a large percentage of the population (maybe even a majority) who desires a better education; this is the group that is being cheated out of a good public education. These kids are not being cheated by the people who are able and willing to leave the bad apples behind, but are being cheated by the bad apples themselves.

What we really need is a culture that supports options in public education, one that supports charter schools, private schools, and public schools as equally viable options. There is a distinct possibility that this will lead to a tiering of schools in all demographic areas, but is that really a bad thing? Charter schools are free (and at least in Arizona actually cost less than public schools); however they are populated by students whose parents CHOSE to send them there. Charter and private schools have more flexibility to meet the needs of their student body. This freedom also comes at a risk because if they fail to do meet these needs, the parents can choose to send their kids elsewhere. If enough parents choose to do so, the private/charter school is forced to close. Most public schools however, are not at risk of closure and therefore do not have the same motivation to meet the needs of their students. The freedom of choice therefore creates more and better options for ALL parents. If the parents choose not to investigate and select the best options, then that is their choice and unfortunately their kids will suffer.

What Ms. Benedikt is suggesting is that all parents who are willing and able to choose the best opportunity for their children, should instead sacrifice their children’s education in the hope that they can help create a better learning environment for the kids whose parents are not willing or able to make a better choice. This is not only un-American but is purely communist (socialism doesn’t even lead to such outrageous conclusions, only adherence to a state-centered theology). Our society does not move forward through lowering standards. Our society does not move forward by dumbing down its population. Our society is not served if we do not want a better life for our children. A society who worries primarily about the “collective good” is doomed to failure, because the “collective good” is almost impossible to identify ahead of time. What we can determine is what is best for our individual good, assuming that it is not directly detrimental to others (lying, cheating, stealing, etc). We can also look at localized and individual charity, which brings us closer to those in need and provides real and personal assistance.

The best way to improve public schooling is to demand more options and then select the option that best meets the needs of your child. Ms. Benedikt and her ilk are the same people who are trying to shutter the American Indian Public Charter Schools in Oakland, CA. They are holders on of the status quo that refuse to accept that there are better ways to education children. These are the people who are holding back the American education system and if they are allowed to continue controlling our education system, they will destroy it.

About the Author

Brent Rosenbaum - Brent is a Christian, veteran, conservative, husband, father, and young professional. He served proudly in the United States Air Force before completing his BBA in Business Economics from the University of Arizona. Post college he began a career as a management consultant, got married to a wonderful woman, and had a beautiful daughter. He also completed his MBA in International Business from the University of Nebraska and currently works for a Fortune 500 company.
Brent is passionate about persuasion first to Christ and then to conservative principles. He believes that there is a time and place for aggressiveness, but that turning people to conservative principles requires the ability to persuade with understanding and compassion. Brent holds that conservatives must engage the middle and even the left, while standing above the emotional fray (as much as possible). Overall, Brent is a passionate defender of religious, political, and economic liberty, who is committed to educating and persuading others to join the cause.

RT @KatherineTrunk: Great article by Pamela Seley in The Brenner Brief today about Journalists!

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Brent Rosenbaum

Brent is a Christian, veteran, conservative, husband, father, and young professional. He served proudly in the United States Air Force before completing his BBA in Business Economics from the University of Arizona. Post college he began a career as ... Read the full profile...